1883. 117 Trans. N. Y. Ac. Set. 



April 30, 1883. 

 Section of Geology. 



The President, Dr. J. S. Newberry, in the Chair. 



Forty persons present. 



Mr. G. F. KuNZ exhibited a fragment of the meteoric stone 

 ■which fell at Alfianello, Lombardy, on Feb. 16, 1883, at 3.30 p. 

 M. ; also cut specimens of Siberian amethyst of wonderful color 

 and brilliancy, and Siberian aquamarine, the finest gems of these 

 kinds he had ever seen. He also stated that, in a large bag of 

 pebbles of jasper, agate and chalcedony, from San Geronimo, Es- 

 tado de Oaxaca, Mexico, near the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, he had 

 found a worn pebble of blue and yellow corundum, weighing over 

 nineteen grammes. The specific gravity is 3.9002, which is low, but 

 probably caused by internal fissures, partly occupied by other ma- 

 terial. It retains no trace of crystalline form, but the cleavage- 

 planes reflect very plainly a pearly lustre. The discovery of this 

 mineral in so good a form may imply its possible occurrence in 

 quantity and perhaps with a gem value. 



Mr. Wilbur exhibited, through Prof D. S. Martin, a specimen 

 of our finest and largest moth, Saturnia {Saj/iia) Cecropia, which 

 had been hatched out unusually early this spring, probably in 

 in some sheltered spot. 



The President stated that the meteorite, of which a fragment 

 was exhibited, fell in a clover-field, and attracted such a crowd of 

 visitors that the enraged proprietor of the field had it broken up 

 and thrown out into the road. A portion of the fragments thence 

 obtained was sold soon afterward for about 7000 lire (or francs), in 

 which the proprietor of the field had no share. 



A paper was then read by Mr. N. H. Darton, 



on the disintegrated sandstone at new DURHAM N. J. 



(Abstract.) 

 In the construction of the road-bed for the New York, West Shore 

 and Buffalo Railroad, numerous interesting exposures of the Trias in 

 New Jersey have been revealed in its cuts, tunnels, etc. At several 

 points the contacts of the trap and sandstone have been uncovered. 

 One of the most remarkable of these is at the western entrance to the 

 tunnel through the Palisades, between Weehawken and New Durham 

 where the sandstone is very soft and friable, containing a large amount 

 •of water, and of nearly pure white or chromiferous green color. On 



